Make sure you have a notebook and pen on hand for writing down your thoughts as you study this lesson.

Objective

In this lesson, we’ll see that Philemon gives us one of the clearest pictures in the Bible of the work of Christ as our mediator and redeemer.

Key Verse

Philemon 18: But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account.

Introduction

Paul always pointed to himself as an example for others to follow in Christian living and ministry. He didn’t do this out of pride, but out of the deep conviction that we must lead by example. Throughout his letters, Paul consistently offered his own life as a pattern for believers to imitate.

In his letter to Philemon, we see Paul once again demonstrating this principle of ministry through personal example. This shortest of Paul’s letters was written from prison in Rome, like Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Unlike those letters written to entire churches, this one was addressed to an individual, making it similar to the pastoral epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.

Philemon may be one of the shortest books in the Bible, containing only twenty-five verses, but it holds within its brief pages both the heart of the Gospel and the heart of Christian ministry. Through a deeply personal story involving a runaway slave, Paul shows us a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for each of us.

In this lesson, we’ll examine both the fascinating story behind this letter and its profound spiritual meaning:

• The story: Who were the people involved and what was happening?
• The meaning: How does this story picture the work of Christ for us?

The Story

Paul wrote this letter to Philemon while he was imprisoned in Rome. To understand the significance of what Paul was doing, we need to ask three important questions: Who was Philemon? Who was Onesimus? And why was Paul getting involved in their situation?

➤ First, who was Philemon?

Philemon lived in the city of Colosse, the same city where Paul had written his letter to the Colossians. Paul had led Philemon to faith in Christ, though we don’t know exactly when this happened. It may have been during Paul’s extended ministry in nearby Ephesus on his third missionary journey, when people from all over the region came to hear the Gospel.

Philemon 19: I say nothing about your owing me even your own self.

This verse suggests that Paul was referring to Philemon’s spiritual debt to him as the one who had brought him to Christ.

Philemon’s house served as the meeting place for the local church. In those days, Christians didn’t have church buildings, so they met in the homes of believers who had space to accommodate the growing community of faith.

Philemon 2: To Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home.

Philemon was well known throughout the Christian community for his loving and generous spirit toward other believers. His reputation for kindness and hospitality made him a beloved figure among the Christians in Colosse.

Philemon 5-7: Because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

Archippus, who is mentioned in verse 2, was probably Philemon’s son and served as a leader in the church, possibly even as the pastor. Paul also mentions Archippus in his letter to the Colossians, giving him an important charge about completing his ministry.

The letter to Philemon also reveals that Philemon was not the only slave-owner among the Christians at Colosse. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul gives instructions to masters about how they should treat their slaves, showing that the Gospel was transforming these relationships throughout the community.

➤ Second, who was Onesimus?

We can piece together Onesimus’s story from what Paul tells us in this letter. Onesimus was a slave who belonged to Philemon but had run away from his master’s house. In the Roman world, this was a serious crime that could be punished by death.

Somehow, Onesimus made his way to Rome, where he encountered Paul. Perhaps he had heard Philemon speak about Paul and sought him out when he found himself in desperate circumstances. During his time with Paul, Onesimus became a believer in Jesus Christ.

Philemon 10: I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.

The name “Onesimus” means “useful” or “profitable,” which adds significance to Paul’s wordplay later in the letter. Paul developed a close relationship with this new convert, and Onesimus proved to be a valuable helper in Paul’s ministry work.

Colossians 4:9: He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

This verse from Colossians shows that Onesimus had become a trusted companion who would carry news from Paul to the churches.

➤ Third, why was Paul getting involved?

Paul could have simply kept Onesimus with him in Rome, where he was proving to be a valuable ministry partner. But Paul understood that this situation provided a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the power of the Gospel to transform relationships and heal broken fellowship.

(Notebook Moment: Think about a time when someone wronged you or broke your trust. How did you feel about the possibility of reconciliation with that person? What emotions would Philemon have experienced when he saw Onesimus again?)

Onesimus could have faced severe punishment, even death, for running away. But Paul decided to send him back to Philemon with this letter, asking his friend to receive Onesimus not merely as a returned slave, but as a beloved brother in Christ.

Philemon 16: No longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.

Paul was asking Philemon to make a radical transformation in his thinking—to see Onesimus not through the lens of Roman social structures, but through the lens of their shared faith in Christ.

The Meaning

Our lives can be powerful pictures of the Gospel message. Paul told the Corinthian church that their lives were like living letters that others could read to understand the nature of Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3: You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

In his appeal to Philemon, Paul demonstrates the ministry of reconciliation that God has given to all believers. Just as Christ reconciled us to God, we are called to be agents of reconciliation in our relationships with others.

2 Corinthians 5:18: All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

Paul’s actions in this letter provide a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us. Look carefully at what Paul promises to do for Onesimus in verses 17-19:

Philemon 17-19: So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self.

Paul makes three incredible promises that mirror Christ’s work for us:

First, “Receive him as you would receive me.” Paul asks Philemon to treat Onesimus with the same love and respect he would show to Paul himself. This pictures how God receives us in Christ. When God looks at us, He doesn’t see our sin and failure—He sees the righteousness of His beloved Son.

Second, “If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.” Paul takes full responsibility for any debt or damage that Onesimus might owe. This is exactly what Christ did for us at the cross. He took our sins upon Himself and paid the full penalty that our rebellion deserved.

Third, “I will pay it back.” Paul personally guarantees that he will cover any cost involved in Onesimus’s restoration. Christ didn’t just promise to pay our debt—He actually paid it in full through His death on the cross.

(Notebook Moment: How does it change your perspective on your relationship with God to know that Christ has taken your sin debt upon Himself and credited His righteousness to your account?)

Like Onesimus, we were all slaves to sin, running away from our rightful Master and accumulating a debt we could never pay. Christ stepped in as our mediator, taking our place and paying our debt completely.

2 Corinthians 5:21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Colossians 2:13-14: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

The beautiful truth of the Gospel is that we were condemned by sin and under the law’s judgment. Christ took our place and paid our debts completely. Because of His sacrifice, our relationship with God has been fully restored, and we are now welcomed as beloved children rather than condemned criminals.

All of this is perfectly pictured in what Paul did for Onesimus. Paul became the mediator between the offended master and the runaway slave, just as Christ became the mediator between holy God and sinful humanity.

(Notebook Moment: In what practical ways can you demonstrate the ministry of reconciliation in your own relationships? Who in your life might need to experience the same kind of grace that Paul showed to Onesimus?)

Conclusion

This brief letter contains both the heart of the Gospel and the heart of Christian ministry. Paul understood that he had been given the Gospel of peace and the ministry of reconciliation. The Gospel not only changes our relationship with God, but it should also transform our relationships with other people.

The story of Philemon reminds us that some of the shortest books in the Bible often contain the greatest pictures of Christ’s work for us. Just as the Old Testament book of Ruth uses the story of a kinsman-redeemer to show us Christ’s love for His people, Philemon uses the story of a mediator paying a slave’s debt to help us understand what Christ has done for us.

Ephesians 2:13-16: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

The Gospel changes everything. It transforms our relationship with God from enemies to children. It changes our relationship with other believers from strangers to family. And it gives us the privilege and responsibility of being tools of reconciliation in a broken world, showing others the same grace that Christ has shown to us.

Check Your Understanding

Take this 5-question quiz to check your understanding of this lesson.

Congratulations on completing this lesson! Click on the “Next Lesson” button below when you are ready to continue.